The Things We Create Also Create Us

In October 2013, I started writing a weekly email newsletter.

I wanted a place to share what I was learning about marketing, connect with people and develop something of my own.

I didn’t have a plan for everything that would follow. I just committed to writing every Thursday and seeing where it would take me.

Thirteen years later, that newsletter has become part of something much bigger.

We have a community, events around the country, a conference every May and opportunities for people to meet, learn and shape more together.

When I think about what I’ve gained from all these years, it’s not just the work produced.

It’s what I’ve learnt through making them happen.

There are aspects I feel comfortable doing today that I wouldn’t have imagined attempting in 2013. I’ve developed the confidence, experience and judgement along the way.

It makes me wonder whether we sometimes overlook one of the most valuable parts of creating something. It’s what the experience does to us.

I watched a video that challenged people who were proud of using AI to write their speeches and scripts.

The point wasn’t simply about technology. It was about what happens when we remove ourselves from the creative process.

When you write something yourself, you have to work through what you want to say. You make decisions, make edits, get stuck and eventually find a way forward.

You develop skills and judgement through doing the work.

When we hand over that entire process, we might get a finished piece of work, but have we developed the ability to create it ourselves?

This matters when we’re surrounded by tools promising to make everything quicker and easier.

I’m not against shortcuts, as I use AI and other tools to help with my own work. If something saves me time on a repetitive task, I’m all for it. But there’s a difference between removing the tedious parts of a process and removing the parts where we learn something.

Are we removing the drudgery or removing the discovery?

We’ve become very good at finding shortcuts to the finished product. What if some of the most valuable moments happen along the longer route?

Sometimes the parts we find difficult are the very things that help us become better at what we do.

Rick Rubin talks about the importance of bringing our own perspective to what we create, rather than trying to make something we think everyone else will like.

This connects with what I’ve experienced through YATM.

I didn’t know how to put on a conference when I started writing a newsletter. I wasn’t thinking about bringing people together in different cities or creating opportunities for others to lead.

These developed because I kept making decisions about what to try next. I can guarantee you that not everything has worked.

There have been ideas that haven’t gone anywhere, projects I’ve spent far too much time on and occasions when I’ve wondered whether something was worth pursuing. I’ve also had to become comfortable with not knowing the answers.

When you’re creating something new, there isn’t always someone to tell you exactly what to do. You can listen to advice and learn from what others have achieved, but eventually you have to decide what feels right for you.

That’s part of putting your own stamp on something. You try it, see what happens and make adjustments.

For instance, I couldn’t have developed those abilities simply by reading about how to organise events, I had to start.

Confidence doesn’t always come before we do something. Sometimes it’s what develops because we’ve done it.

There’s another part of creativity that I don’t think receives enough attention.

What happens when other people become part of what we’re creating?

When I started YATM, it was just me sharing my thoughts and experiences. Over time, people began contributing their own ideas, sharing what they’d learnt and finding ways to support each other.

This has changed how I see my role. There’s a difference between creating something for people and creating something with people.

Both have value, but when we invite people to help shape an experience, rather than simply participate in something we’ve organised, new possibilities open up.

People bring their own perspectives, skills and ideas. They might see opportunities we hadn’t considered or take something in a different direction. Other people will make different decisions, bring different ideas and have their own ways of doing things and that’s a good thing.

When people have the freedom to contribute, what we’ve started can become something that none of us could have created alone.

I’m starting to see three things that come from the experience of creating.

What we make. The newsletter, business, project, event or idea we’ve brought into the world.

Who we become. The skills, confidence and judgement we develop through trying things, getting them wrong and working out how to improve.

Who joins us. The relationships, contributions and possibilities that develop because we’ve created something other people want to be part of.

We tend to judge success by the first one because it’s what we can see and measure, but the other two can have just as much value, particularly over time.

I can look back at 13 years of YATM and see what we’ve created. What I couldn’t have measured at the beginning was how the process would change me, or how many people would become part of making something happen.

And that brings me to something we’re looking forward to next year.

On Thursday 6th May, we’re bringing Creator Day back to Poole.

And our theme for 2027 is CREATIVITY.

This theme isn’t reserved for artists, designers, writers or people who already describe themselves as creative. I know we’re all capable of building on our ideas and bringing them to life.

The person who decides to start a business is being creative. So is someone who finds a different way to solve a problem, starts a local gathering or has an idea they want to share.

It doesn’t have to be something nobody has ever done before. It can be taking what you’ve learnt, putting your own stamp on it and making something happen that matters to you.

This is what I want Creator Day to explore. How we find our own perspective, have the confidence to act on our ideas and recognise the value of the journey, not just the finished result.

I don’t want people to leave simply impressed by what other people have created. I want people to recognise what they could make possible themselves, and the people who might help them along the way.

Perhaps there’s something you’ve been thinking about for a while, but you’ve been waiting until you feel ready or know enough to begin.

What if the confidence you’re waiting for is something you’ll only find through having a go? We don’t have to become creative people before we begin.

Sometimes beginning is what helps us discover what we’re capable of.

Come to the seaside and treat it as your mid-year break, with friends on your side, read more and book here.